Resilient cord release



y 2,1939. J. K. WALTER 2,156,461

RESILIENT CORD RELEASE Filed March 23, 1938 Patented May 2, 1939 RESILIENT CORD RELEASE John K. Walter, Maywood, Calif.

Application March 28,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a'resi'li'ent support and release device particularly adapted for electric cords or cables such as used for instance in vacuum cleaners. In my construction the mounting may be placed on the handle used in cleaners or the like and the electric cord made into a coil between a fixed and a resilient hook.

An object and feature of my invention is in a resilient mounting for electric cords or the like in which a hook is made in the form of a bent wire having a part circular spring or resilient section, the ends of which are attached to a handle. The hook thus has a resilient mounting as to the handle. the resilient hook and a rigid hook on the handle and thus held in place, however by bending the resilient hook towards the rigid hook the coil may be readily released without the necessity of unwinding this one strand of the coil at a time. A further detail feature of my invention relates to the resilient hook made of a single piece of wire having a conventional hook-like end formed by a U shaped part of the wire, thus the wire has a cross end and two curved hook arms. These continue into a reverse partial coil and fit on opposite sides of a handle. The ends of the coil portion are fitted in openings or perforations in the handle which is usually a tube, the openings being diametrically opposite and such ends are held in place by a set screw or the like.

Another characteristic of my invention involves the attachment of the resilient hook to the handle, such handle being provided with diametrically opposite perforations for an attaching bolt or screws, these engaging an eye formed adjacent the end of the hook. In addition there are two small perforations in the handle through which extends a prong-like end at right angles to the plane of the eye. The heads of the bolts thus clamp the two eyes on opposite sides of the handle and the prongs prevent turning or rotation of the hook relative to the bolts.

My invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the handle as applied to a vacuum cleaner and with the coil disengaged from the two hooks and hanging on the rigid hook.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the handle portion with the hooks connected thereto on a larger scale and may be considered as taken in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of The cord may be coiled between 1938, Serial No. 197.724

Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows, the loops of the coil being omitted.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

In my invention I illustrate a conventiona1- handle II which is usually tubular. This has a hand grip end l2 at the top and for a vacuum cleaner is generally provided with a fork it at the bottom, a vacuum cleaner i5 being mounted in the yoke. There is usually a small hook it from which the dust bag ll may be suspended. It is usual to have a switch it. The electric cord designated l9 has a plug end 729 and a portion fitting through an opening or insulated bush ing 2| in the handle and leading to the switch.

in conjunction with my invention I employ a rigid "hook 251. This has a part circular base 126 secured to the handle by screws 2'! and has the curved hook end 28. The hookextends upwardly. Also in my invention I employ the resilient release hook assembly 35. This is formed of a single length of wire. There are inwardly bent ends 36. Extending therefrom there are two coil sections 31. These are shown as having an upward curve 38 and a downward curve 39. A reverse curve section 46 leads to the hook portion M. The two hook portions are connected by a cross wire piece 42.

Adjacent the inwardly bent ends or prongs 35 the wire portion prior to the formation of the coil section 3? has a circular eye 43. The twist for forming the eye is made in the same direction of turn as the coil section 3?.

The handle H has two diametrically opposite perforations 15 and immediately thereabove and in close contiguity thereto there are two smaller perforations 6B. The prong-like ends 36 of the hook extend inwardly through the small perforations 46, the eye portion 43 encircles the perforation 40 and a bolt assembly 5!! extends through these perforations 5. The bolt ismade in two parts. One part 5| has an internally threaded socket 52 and a head 53 with a screw driver kerf 54. The opposite or other bolt portion 55 has an externally threaded screw 56 engaging in the threaded socket 52 and this is also provided with a head 5'! having a screw driver kerf. By this construction the two portions of the screw may be tightened and the heads grip: and encircle the eye 43, thus firmly attaching the resilient hook to the handle and the prong-like ends 35 engaging in separate perforations prevent rotation of the hook as a whole. Therefore the end having the coil 31 is securely anchored to the handle.

In the use and operation of my device the ten-- 55 sion of the spring formed by the coil 31 normally holds the hook portion in the full line position of Fig. 2 and when so held the electric cord may be wound or looped over the fixed hook 25 and the resilient hook 35. This will securely hold the coil of the cord, however when it is desired to remove such coil it is only necessary to either give a pull on the coil or an upward lift on the resilient hook straining this until it occupies for instance the dotted line position of Fig. 2 whence the lower bights of the coil of the cord may be slipped from the resilient hook and manifestly when it is necessary to stretch the cord for some distance it may also be readily disengaged from the rigid book 25.

Various changes may be made in the details of the construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device as described, the combination of a rod-like supporting element, having first and second perforations therethrough, a resilient hook device formed of a single piece of wire and having two inturned prongs at the end fitting in the first perforations, a portion of the wire from the prongs having a spiral curve, attaching means extending through the second perforations retaining the spiral coil and the prongs in place on the said element, the portion beyond the spiral curve having a reverse curve and continuing in a hook-like bend and a connection section parallel to the prongs between the hook-like portions, the spiral coil and reverse curve and hooklike portions being in the same plane.

2. In a device as described and claimed in claim 1, a small eye in close proximity to each prong and connecting with the spiral coil, the attaching means including a screw having heads engaging each eye.

3. In a device as described, the combination of a rod-like supporting element having a front face, a pair of diametrically opposite perforations or sockets in the side faces, a resilient hook device formed of a single piece of wire and having two inturned prongs each fitting in a perforation, a portion of the wire from the prongs having a spiral curve directed downwardly, thence upwardly above the prongs and continuing in an enlarging spiral beyond the face of the supporting element, the wire then having a reverse curve and a down-turned hook having a curvature opposite to that of the spiral, the said curves extending from the prongs being each in a plane at right angle to such prongs and the ends of the hook portions being connected by a straight section parallel to the prongs and extending across the face of the supporting element, a fastening means on each side of the supporting element below the prongs attaching the spiral portion adjacent the prongs to the supporting element, the said hook being adapted to receive loops of a flexible cor-d and having a resiliency tending to expand said spirals.

4. In a device as described a resilient hook formed of a single piece of wire and having two inwardly turned prongs in axial alignment and two curved sections in planes at right angles to the prongs, each curved section having a close spiral curve immediately adjacent the prongs, 

